For years we worried about computers taking over the world. Science fiction writers made a fortune out of our fears, the more daring of them even extending the argument to salt shakers and bedside lamps taking over the world. And then it happened. They took over the world; the computers, I mean, not the salt shakers, although the one on my table has been staring at me meaningfully in the past m
The Karnataka assembly believes that its honour has been besmirched not by members watching porn even as proceedings were on but by the news channel that ran the exposé. Our sanctimonious representatives think they are above public scrutiny, much less reproach; that the very grounds that they conduct their business on are hallowed. The questions posed by the inquiry committee to
When internal strife overwhelmed Indira Gandhi and she began losing her grip on both politics and administration in 1970s, she used to famously pass the buck to ‘foreign hand’. More than three and half decades later, having found himself in a similar situation our present prime minister is doing an encore. In a recent interview to an international journal he used the same bogey to e
Questions have suddenly become more important than answers. At least, the campaign for the Uttar Pradesh election showed that amply. Politically correct questions kept being fielded from all sides throughout the poll campaign. The answers were expected from the electorate who had himself a list of questions to ask. Those, however, were conveniently drowned in the din. After a fu
The low-cost computing device, Aakash has captured the imagination of the nation. While the nation seems divided its success or failure, the global community is keenly looking forward to this information and communications technology (ICT) revolution in education happening in India. Aakash is not the first low-cost computing device (so there is no invention per se). The Simputer, which
Ever imagined your teachers speaking about traffic and road norms in class? No? Don’t worry, you might not have learnt road norms as a subject but the chances are that your child might have to study it as part of his/her school curriculum. Mirroring the achievements of the UK and the US, the government has decided to introduce traffic and road norms as a chapter in the subj
The myth of power is self-explanatory: power draws from myths. A sense of reality, on the contrary, acts as a check. Young David’s sling when he took on the giant Goliath, Birsa Munda’s professed power to turn bullets to powder: history is replete with such examples. The steed of power has always galloped on the spur of the moment. Truly speaking, a second thought would
Some commentators think this government suffers from policy paralysis. Nothing can be farther from truth. The UPA government is working pretty efficiently. It’s a different matter that its initiatives are in the patently wrong directions when not altogether dangerous. Consider NCTC. Or consider the proposal to give a legal backing to the model of code of conduct for electioneering.
When SY Quraishi, supported by his two “peers”, VS Sampath and HS Brahma, who unlike him don’t enjoy constitutional protection, had statues of Mayawati and the BSP’s elephant covered, the three-member Election Commission (EC) trended on Twitter for three days. Images of elephants covered in pink (the colour, by the way, wasn’t chosen by EC) brought t
It’s that time of the year again (actually, it is always that time of the year but we don’t notice it). Anyway, the time I am talking about is the one to select books that you are actually going to read rather than (influenced by New Year resolutions) the ones you think you ought to read. For many years now I have planned to read Anna Karenina. It’s in my &lsquo
The matter which I wish to highlight is judicial accountability. Judges of the apex court are expected to conform to the highest standards of rectitude and despite an occasional aberration, our apex court commands the highest respect both with the country and abroad. The troubling feature that seems to take away the sheen from the judges is the post retirement engagement of the su
Mohammed Aamir Khan has reasons to be unhappy, feel vengeful and hurt. Instead, he chooses to be grateful with an angelic smile spread across his face. Most of us complain about little inconveniences in our daily life. And here is a man who has been through hell and back but his indomitable spirit has conquered all. Aamir bears no grudge. Sitting at his home in Old Delhi all he c
Twenty-five years is such a long time. That’s the space Salman Khurshid has taken to don a new mask and make his Jinnah-like proposition. One can understand his frustration. But let me assure you, he wasn’t always like that. He was once a suave Class 1 in Jurisprudence from St Edmund Hall, Oxford (later Liu Po Shan Lecturer in law at Trinity College). He was, and some argue still is
The group of ministers on aviation recommended on Tuesday that airline companies be allowed to import jet fuel. This has been a long standing demand of some airline companies, Kingfisher in particular. They hope that the direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) will help lower their fuel bill by 10-15 percent. However, ground realities may not support these claims. While the l
The proposed food security law is giving finance minister Pranab Mukherjee sleepless nights. Feeding the country should present no small bill, and it is understandable that the man feels a bit daunted. But that shouldn`t be the concern, ideally. Given that the subsidy bill is still far lesser than the tax holidays and subsidies given to the super-rich corporate, all in the name of encouraging i
The civil aviation sector will soon have a new regulator. The civil aviation authority (CAA) will replace the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) sometime soon in 2012. Though the CAA has already become mired in controversy over its formation and the selection of members, it is expected a welcome change from the DGCA. The well-meaning outgoing apex regulator had become limited
Ah! The joys of flying! Friends and family don’t know this yet, but I am radioactive, which is why I don’t shake hands in greeting but either nod my head or smile foolishly. The reason is simple – I have been taking flights almost on a daily basis these past few weeks, and passing through all manner of x-ray screenings. As the bard nearly said, throw enough x-ray at a person a
``Britain is a third-rate power nursing illusions of grandeur of its colonial past. It created Kashmir when it divided India. Now it wants to give us a solution.`` These were the words that an exasperated IK Gujral used just before the Queen landed in India for her official state visit in the year 1997. Of course, Gujral, who was then prime minister, later withdrew his rema
The fine print of the 2G verdict is out and the government and the telcos get a sigh of relief. Is it because it could have been worse or is it because the worst is over? This comment on the apex court’s verdict bears me out on my own humble submission made on this website regarding the Busi
